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Psalm 23
Psalm 23
The Text
1The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
The Spiritual Meaning
We will examine this psalm phrase-by-phrase…
“The LORD is my shepherd”
Christ is the Good Shepherd:
“I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.” (John 10:11)
Keep in mind that the Lord is a Shepherd only over His sheep and only the true believers are His sheep. Therefore, the promises of this Psalm are addressed only to the believers.
“I shall not want”
Christ is an heir of all things:
"Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds" (Hebrews 1:2)
All believers are joint heirs with Christ:
"And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together." (Romans 8:17)
Therefore, all believers are also heirs of all things:
"He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" (Romans 8:32)
No wonder verse 1 says, "I shall not want." Psalm 34:9 reminds us that those who fear the Lord (the believers) are not in want of anything:
"O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him."
“He maketh me to lie down in green pastures.”
A frightened sheep will not lie down but rather will be running around frantically. However, the believers don't have anything to fear. A sheep that is safe and has access to plenty of food will calmly rest in the pasture. Remember, as we read the Bible we are feeding on Christ:
"I am that bread of life." (John 6:48)
Christ is the Word of God in flesh:
"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." (John 1:14)
So a believer receives his or her spiritual nourishment from spending time in the Word of God.
“he leadeth me beside the still waters.”
The Hebrew word translated as "still" here is menuchah which is found 21 times in the Bible and is typically translated as "rest". So the phrase "still waters" can also be understood as "waters of rest". The water in view is that which brings salvation:
"But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life." (John 4:14)
And it is through the hearing of His Word that God saves people:
"So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Romans 10:17)
The Word of God is the pure water which brings salvation, and when we become saved we are spoken of as having entered into Christ's rest:
"For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world." (Heberews 4:3)
“He restoreth my soul.”
Before we are saved we are spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1-5). The first wonderful thing that happens when we become saved is God quickens (brings to life) our soul:
"And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses" (Colossians 2:13)
Our spirit has been renewed:
"Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me."
"he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness"
This points to the fact that Christ is the only path to salvation:
"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John 14:6)
And when we are saved God leads us into righteousness:
"I lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment: That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance; and I will fill their treasures." (Proverbs 8:20-21)
He leads us down a path we could not navigate on our own before we became saved:
"And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them." (Isaiah 42:16)
When we are saved the Holy Spirit witnesses with our spirit:
"The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God" (Romans 8:16)
This is part of why a believer feels bad when he or she sins and why a believer has an ongoing desire to be obedient.
“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death”
This world is filled with spiritual darkness. The Bible refers to the unsaved as those who walk in darkness:
"But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes." (1 John 2:11)
And, of course, anyone who is not saved is spiritually dead. The world is really a valley of spiritual darkness filled with spiritual corpses. It is like the valley of dry bones we read about in Ezekiel chapter 37:
"The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones, And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry." (Ezekiel 37:1-2)
The believers walk through this world as a light in the darkness:
"We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts" (2 Peter 1:19)
“I will fear no evil”
The believers fear no evil because God will deliver them from evil:
"And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil." (Luke 11:4)
"for thou art with me"
This is a reminder of a wonderful promise for all believers:
"There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee." (Joshua 1:5)
"thy rod and thy staff they comfort me"
The shepherd's rod is able to keep dangerous animals away. The Bible presents His rod as a figure of His wrath which is poured out on the enemies in protection of His sheep:
"I am the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath." (Lamentation 3:1)
"Then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes." (Psalm 89:32)
God protects His sheep:
"Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah." (Psalm 32:7)
“Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies”
The Bible speaks of the believers as foreigners in this world:
"These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth." (Hebrews 11:13)
So as we partake of the Bread of Life (Christ) in this world it is like a table has been prepared for us in the presence of our enemies. We are in this foreign land and yet we can still safely feed on the Word of God. In fact, the altar itself was a representation of Christ and it is referred to as the table before the Lord:
"The altar of wood was three cubits high, and the length thereof two cubits; and the corners thereof, and the length thereof, and the walls thereof, were of wood: and he said unto me, This is the table that is before the LORD." (Ezekiel 41:22)
God's people enter into His sanctuary, come near His table, and keep His law:
"They shall enter into my sanctuary, and they shall come near to my table, to minister unto me, and they shall keep my charge." (Ezekiel 44:16)
"Thou anointest my head with oil"
This refers to the fact that God ordained the believers to be kings and priests:
"And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth." (Revelation 5:10)
"And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen." (Revelation 1:6)
Remember, the heads of kings were anointed with oil:
“Then take the box of oil, and pour it on his head, and say, Thus saith the LORD, I have anointed thee king over Israel. Then open the door, and flee, and tarry not.” (2 Kings 9:3)
"my cup runneth over"
The cup in view is the cup of salvation:
"I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD." (Psalm 116:13)
God gives us more than we deserve:
"Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again." (Luke 6:28)
"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever."
This serves as a wonderful reminder that once we become saved we cannot lose our salvation. God's goodness and mercy will never leave us. As soon as we become saved the Lord becomes our dwelling place and we no longer stand condemned:
"Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations." (Psalm 90:1)
"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." (Romans 8:1)
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